‘12 Muslim men…’: How Asaduddin Owaisi, others reacted as Bombay HC acquits all convicts in 2006 train blasts case
The Bombay high court acquitted 12 men convicted in the 2006 Mumbai train blasts, citing prosecution failures.
Asaduddin Owaisi of the AIMIM on Monday questioned the investigation agencies after the Bombay high court acquitted all 12 men convicted in the 2006 Mumbai train blasts case. Calling it a “complete failure” of the police, Asaduddin Owaisi said the accused had lost 18 years of their lives for a crime they did not commit.
The Bombay high court bench of Justices Anil Kilor and Shyam Chandak, said it did its duty as judges. The bench quashed the conviction of the 12 persons by a special court in 2015, noting the prosecution had “utterly failed” to prove the case and that it was hard to believe the accused committed the crime.
The prosecution failed to even record the type of bombs used in the crime, and the evidence it relied on was not conclusive in convicting the accused persons, the high court said in its verdict. The witness statements and alleged recoveries made from the accused have no evidentiary value.
Reacting to the verdict, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief wrote on X, “12 Muslim men were in jail for 18 years for a crime they didn't commit. Their prime life is gone. 180 families who lost their loved ones, several injured — no closure for them.”
Owaisi also criticised the police for presuming guilt in such high-profile cases and accused the media of running parallel trials.
{{/usCountry}}Owaisi also criticised the police for presuming guilt in such high-profile cases and accused the media of running parallel trials.
{{/usCountry}}“In such cases where there is a public outcry, the approach by police is always to first assume guilt… The way the media covers the case, it kind of decides the guilt of a person,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}“In such cases where there is a public outcry, the approach by police is always to first assume guilt… The way the media covers the case, it kind of decides the guilt of a person,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Owaisi also demanded action against the Maharashtra ATS officers who investigated the case and questioned the role of the political leadership in 2006.
{{/usCountry}}Owaisi also demanded action against the Maharashtra ATS officers who investigated the case and questioned the role of the political leadership in 2006.
{{/usCountry}}“Please remember which parties were ruling Maharashtra in 2006. They are also responsible for disregarding complaints of torture,” Owaisi said.
{{/usCountry}}“Please remember which parties were ruling Maharashtra in 2006. They are also responsible for disregarding complaints of torture,” Owaisi said.
{{/usCountry}}He mentioned the personal toll the case took on the accused, including Mohammed Majid, whose wife died while he was in prison.
How others reacted
{{/usCountry}}He mentioned the personal toll the case took on the accused, including Mohammed Majid, whose wife died while he was in prison.
How others reacted
{{/usCountry}}Shiv Sena MP Milind Deora, who was an MP from Mumbai in 2006, said, “As a Mumbaikar, I cannot accept this verdict… I appeal to the Maharashtra government to hire the best lawyers and appeal against the Bombay high court’s judgment immediately.”
BJP leader Kirit Somaiya called the verdict “deeply disappointing” and pointed to “shortcomings in both the investigation and legal presentation.”
Veteran lawyer Prashant Bhushan questioned the credibility of the initial conviction: “They were convicted & sentenced to death only on police confessions… They went through 19 years of torture, jail & suffering! What recompense?”
Special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said the acquittal raises serious concerns and confirmed the state will appeal the decision in the Supreme Court.
“Many innocent lives were lost. The court’s lack of faith in the evidence is extremely serious.”
What the bench said
After the court pronounced its verdict, advocate Yug Chaudhary, appearing for the accused, said the judgment restores faith in humanity and judiciary as the 12 accused have been languishing in jail for 19 years for a crime they have not committed.
The bench then remarked that it was only doing its duty.
"We did our duty as judges. That is the responsibility cast upon us," the bench said.
Chaudhary told the court that it was indeed a credit to the institution that 12 persons charged with the most serious offences could be held innocent after all these years and acquitted.
"It is a credit to the independence of the institution. More than restoring faith in the judiciary, this judiciary restores faith in humanity. This judgment will always be a sign of hope in times to come," Chaudhary said.
Senior advocate S Murlidhar, who appeared for some of the accused, also thanked the high court for its patient hearing and the acquittal.
During arguments in the case, Murlidhar, a former high court judge, submitted that the accused spent the better parts of their life in jail despite being innocent.
He had alleged a pattern wherein investigating agencies show "communal bias" while probing terror related cases.
The high court on Monday refused to confirm the September 2015 judgment of the special court convicting the 12 persons.
Of the 12, five were sentenced to death while the remaining seven were given life imprisonment.
Seven blasts ripped through Mumbai local trains at various locations on the western line, killing more than 180 persons and injuring several others on July 11, 2006.
